Founded in 1994, the GTHC is a chapter of the North Country Trail Association (NCTA), a multi-state coalition of volunteers and partners who develop, maintain, protect, and promote the 4,600-mile North Country National Scenic Trail as the premier hiking path across the northern tier of the United States.
With more than 160 current members, the GTHC maintains 100 miles of the NCT in northwest Michigan through Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Wexford and Manistee Counties including the Pere Marquette State Forest. The club also assists in other local trail work projects, and promotes the NCT through numerous volunteer activities around the region. GTHC also offers public programs on hike-related topics at 7 p.m. on the third Tuesday of every month, September through May, at the Boardman River Nature Center in Traverse City.